For the first time in her collegiate career, UW shortstop Kris Zacher was named Big Ten Softball Player of the Week, conference officials announced Monday.

The Milwaukee native hit .500 (11-22) with 10 runs scored, three stolen bases and six walks last week. The talented junior had three multi-hit games in the Badgers’ seven games over the week. In a solid week, Zacher recorded a .607 on-base percentage and a .773 slugging percentage. She was also impressive in the field, leading the infield with an errorless week of play.

Zacher had two walk-off hits in one day, capping Wisconsin victories in both games of a doubleheader against Loyola (Chicago) Wednesday. To open the doubleheader, she blasted a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning that triggered the mercy rule in an 8-0 win. In the second game, Zacher came up with a clutch RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to give the Badgers a 2-1 victory.

The junior scored twice in the Badgers’ 4-2 extra-inning win at Northwestern Friday and hit her team-leading fourth home run of the year in the first game of a Sunday doubleheader at Michigan State.

During the largest comeback in school history, Zacher went 3-3 with three runs scored, as the Badgers scored 11 unanswered runs in an 11-8 win in the second game of the doubleheader against the Spartans.

Zacher currently leads the Badgers in batting average (.368), on-base percentage (.423), slugging percentage (.549), stolen bases (10), home runs (4) and runs scored (32). Her 32 runs scored leads the Big Ten, and her .368 batting average ranks fourth in the conference.

Wisconsin (23-19, 3-5) will look for continued production from Zacher in the team’s first conference home stand, in which the Badgers will host a pair of games against Indiana Friday and Saturday and a doubleheader against Purdue Sunday.